Flannery O'Connor & A Perfect Porch Swing

See this??...

{I searched for a photo credit but came up short.  Message me if you know the source of this photo so I can give credit where credit is due!}

This is where I would live in the summer if it weren't for current desert conditions (were in a serious drought *again* here people, pray for us!), and if I had a staff the size of Downton Abbey's to cook the meals and brush my hair and change the diapers.

"Lazy days of summer" is an idyllic term at best for farmers and their families.  April to October is our busiest season, which is why I don't homeschool in the summer (unless you call reading every day, practicing the piano and mastering math drills on the computer "school").  

Despite the intensity of the work around here, I do appreciate, so very much, the long days of sunlight and the break from the classroom, because it affords me more opportunities to read for enjoyment vs. reading for research sake or for the kids' sake.  I think it's of great value for our children to see us read in our spare time, to choose literature as our leisure.  I'm witnessing the fruits of this decision in my oldest children, especially, who rarely ask if they can watch television. When the chores are completed, if not playing or practicing a sport, they can often be found reading, and they all ask if they can stay up and read at night - even Charlie can't fall asleep without a heap of books in his crib!  This is a great joy for me!

{Flannery O'Connor's collected works}

Do you ever find that certain genres of art, literature or music seem to pop up in your daily life, sometimes repetitively, and that repetition leads you down a path of interest in the art?  In my college days, I read a little bit of Flannery O'Connor, but at the time I was more interested in her biographical life as a Southern Catholic.  

Because her name has come up in conversation a couple of times recently and quotes from O'Connor have floated across my Pinterest page, I took it as a sign and purchased her Collected Works to add to our home library.

I may not have a dream porch to perch on, but you can be sure that any "free" moment this summer will be spent engrossed in Flannery's talents.  Eighty pages into Wise Blood and I'm hooked.  

What are you reading now?? 

Feel free to share! I'd love to hear about your current literary passion!